Design of structural parts for a racing solar car

The racing solar cars are characterized by the constant pursuit of energy efficiency. The tight balance between energy inputs and consumption is the main reason to seek optimization in different areas. The vehicle weight is directly related to the energy consumption via rolling resistance of the tires. The relation between weight and energy consumption is quantified. The structural optimization techniques are studied and a series of rules is obtained to iteratively improve the shape of structural parts reducing its weight. The implementation is done in a practical case and satisfactory results are achieved.